Fingerprinting apparatus, system, and method

ABSTRACT

An apparatus, system and method for surreptitious biometric acquisition are disclosed. In one embodiment, a sensor is configured to produce an electrical signal corresponding to a biometric signature of a subject. The sensor is configured to be surreptitiously mounted to a surface. Various sensors are disclosed as being operative with the surreptitious biometric acquisition apparatus. A vehicle with a surreptitiously mounted biometric acquisition apparatus is disclosed. A method for surreptitious identification of suspects is also disclosed.

BACKGROUND

Obtaining fast and accurate identification of a subject has always beena concern of public and private security institutions, including,without limitation, law enforcement, military, private security, amongother personnel. Obtaining fast and accurate identification of a subjectincluding any prior and current history of the subject can be useful tolaw enforcement, military, private security, among other personnel,associated with public and private security institutions.

Biometric scanners are available which can capture an image of afingerprint or palm-print. A signal representative of the captured imageis sent over a data communication interface to a host computer forfurther processing. For example, the host can perform a one-to-one orone-to-many fingerprint matching.

Current fingerprinting devices for use in the field present issues ofsafety and use. Handheld scanners can be cumbersome and do not leavehands free for rapid response to changing conditions. Handheld scannersalso require police to come within arms-reach of a suspect.Additionally, current fingerprinting devices cannot be usedunobtrusively to identify suspects without arousing suspicion.

Accordingly, there is a need for surreptitious biometric identificationcapabilities for use in the field.

SUMMARY

Methods and apparatus for surreptitiously identifying a suspect aredisclosed.

In one embodiment, a sensor is configured to produce an electricalsignal corresponding to a biometrics signature of a subject. The sensoris configured to be surreptitiously mounted to a surface. The surfacemay be, but is not limited to, the surface of a vehicle, a door surface,or a surface that comes into frequent contact with a biometricsignature.

In various embodiments, a biometric sensor may comprise a capacitivesensor, thermal sensor, electromagnetic sensor, optical sensor, orultrasonic sensor, among others.

In one embodiment, a surreptitious biometric acquisition apparatus ismounted to an entry point of a building to assist in entry-exit control.The surreptitious biometric acquisition apparatus may be mounted to adoor handle or other surface that commonly comes into contact withbiometric signatures. In another embodiment, a surreptitious biometricacquisition apparatus is mounted to the surface of a vehicle, such as apolice vehicle. The surreptitious biometric acquisition apparatus isformed integrally with the surface of the vehicle.

In one embodiment, a method for surreptitiously identifying a suspectcomprises obtaining an analog signal representing biometric data of thesubject. The analog signal is converted into a digital signal by asignal processing module. The digital signal is then transmitted to afirst processing node, where it is processed for later comparison. Theprocessed signal is then transmitted to a database of known biometricinformation, where the biometric signature is compared to the knowninformation in the database. If a match is found, the database thentransmits identifying information of the subject to the first processingmodule for display. If no match is found, a no match indicator istransmitted instead.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features of the various embodiments are set forth withparticularity in the appended claims. The various embodiments, however,both as to organization and methods of operation may be best understoodwith reference to the following description, taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is one embodiment of a surreptitious biometric acquisitionapparatus embedded in a vehicle.

FIG. 2 is one embodiment of a surreptitious biometric acquisitionapparatus embedded in a vehicle.

FIG. 3A is one embodiment of a capacitive biometric sensor.

FIG. 3B is a diagram of a capacitive element.

FIG. 4A is one embodiment of an electromagnetic wave biometric sensor.

FIG. 4B is one embodiment of an optical biometric sensor.

FIG. 5 is one embodiment of a thermal biometric sensor.

FIG. 6 is one embodiment of an ultrasonic biometric sensor.

FIG. 7 is one embodiment of a signal processing module.

FIG. 8 is one embodiment of a signal processing module.

FIG. 9 is one embodiment of a first processing node.

FIG. 10 is one embodiment of a surreptitious biometric acquisitionapparatus and network for identifying a subject.

FIG. 11 is one embodiment of a surreptitious biometric acquisitionapparatus embedded in a building.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of one aspect of a method for surreptitiouslyidentifying a subject using biometric acquisition apparatus.

FIG. 13 shows one embodiment of a cross-section of the vehicle hood witha surreptitiously mounted biometric sensor.

FIG. 14 shows one embodiment of a cross-sectional view of the vehiclehood with a capacitive biometric sensor surreptitiously mounted.

DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of a surreptitious biometric acquisition apparatus,as disclosed herein, can be used for identification of subjects.Identifying subjects through biometric data can be useful in a varietyof situations including, but not limited too, law enforcement, military,and private security.

In one embodiment of a surreptitious biometric acquisition apparatus,illustrated in FIG. 1 a biometric acquisition module 100 is formedintegrally with the surface of a vehicle 2. In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 1, the biometric acquisition module 100 is formedintegrally with a hood 110 of the vehicle 2. In other embodiments, thebiometric acquisition module 100 may be formed with any suitable surfaceof the vehicle 2, including but not limited to the trunk, the roof, orside panels. The biometric acquisition module 100 is communicativelycoupled to a first node 108. In one embodiment, communication betweenthe biometric acquisition module 100 and the first node 108 can be, forexample, a wired or wireless connection. The first node 108 isconfigured to receive a signal from the biometric acquisition module 100that contains biometric data associated with a suspect that has come incontact with the biometric acquisition module 100. In one embodiment,the first node 108 can be a laptop computer located inside of thevehicle 2. In another embodiment, the first node 108 can be anindependent system installed into the vehicle specifically configuredfor biometric identification. The first node 108 is configured totransmit the biometric data to a biometric database 6 via a network 4.

The biometric database 6 can be any suitable database containingbiometric and identifying information of subjects. In one embodiment,the biometric database 6 can be a government-maintained identificationdatabase, for example, Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems(AFIS), Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS),Eurodac Fingerprint Database, or any other government biometricdatabase. In another embodiment, the biometric database 6 can be aprivately built and maintained biometric database, for example, createdby an employer containing biometric data of employees. The biometricdatabase 6 compares the received biometric signal with stored data,e.g., biometric and identifying information of subjects, and transmitsthe results of the search back to the first node 108, or other nodes,for example. In one embodiment, biometric database 6 transmits theresults of the search to the first node 108. In one embodiment, thefirst node 108 can then display the match information to the policeofficer, for example, by displaying the subject's identity on the screenof an in-car laptop computer.

FIG. 2 shows a diagram of one embodiment of a biometric acquisitionapparatus 100. In one embodiment, a biometric sensor 102 is configuredto obtain a signal representing the biometric data of a subject thatcontacts the biometric sensor 102. In one embodiment, the biometricsensor 102 may be any suitable biometric sensor capable of obtainingbiometric data surreptitiously. For example, the biometric sensor 102may be a capacitive sensor, thermal sensor, electromagnetic sensor,optical sensor, ultrasonic sensor, or any combination of sensors. Thebiometric sensor 102 transmits the signal representing biometric data ofa subject to a signal processing module 104. In one embodiment, thebiometric sensor 102 may be formed integrally with the signal processingmodule 104. In another embodiment, the biometric sensor 102 may belocated separately from the signal processing module 104. The signalprocessing module 104 converts the analog signal received from thebiometric sensor 102 into a digital form. The signal processing module104 transmits the digital signal representing biometric data of asubject to the communications module 106.

FIGS. 3A-3B show one embodiment of a biometric sensor comprising acapacitive biometric sensor 202. In one embodiment, the capacitivebiometric sensor 202 is comprised of one or more capacitive elements 218arranged in a grid. The capacitive grid has a first spacing 220 and asecond spacing 222, both of which are configured to be small enough togive a proper resolution for biometric sensing. In one embodiment thefirst spacing 220 is equal to the second spacing 222. In anotherembodiment, the first spacing 220 is different than the second spacing222. Although the capacitive biometric sensor 202 is shown as a square,it will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that the capacitivebiometric sensor 202 can be configured to any shape suitable forsurreptitious application to a surface, including, but not limited to,rectangular, circular, oval, triangular, rhomboidal, or irregular. Inaddition, it will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that thecapacitive biometric sensor 202 grid can be varied with the shape of thecapacitive biometric sensor 202.

FIG. 3B shows one embodiment of capacitive element 218. A referencevoltage 212 is connected to an input terminal of an amplifier 208. Inone embodiment, the amplifier 208 is an inverting operational amplifier.In one embodiment, the reference voltage 212 is connected to aninverting terminal 226 of the amplifier 208 and a non-inverting terminal224 is connected to ground. In one embodiment, the reference voltage 212can be connected to a reference voltage source, such as a battery. Inanother embodiment, the reference voltage 212 can be connected to theoutput of an adjacent capacitive element 218. Reference voltage 212 maybe connected to the input terminal through input capacitor 210 in orderto reduce ripple in the input voltage. First and second capacitiveplates 206A and 206B, in conjunction with the reference voltage 212,form a feedback loop for the amplifier 208.

The capacitive biometric sensor 202 operates as follows: a suspectplaces a biometric signature, e.g., finger with fingerprint or palm withpalm-print, on top of an insulating layer 204. A switch 214 is closed bythe sensor 202, causing a short circuit between the inverting terminal226 and the output voltage 216. This causes the circuit to be in abalanced state, wherein the output voltage 216 is equal to the referencevoltage 212. The switch 214 is then opened, which causes the referencevoltage 212 to charge the first and second capacitive plates 206A and206B. The presence of a biometric signature, e.g., finger withfingerprint, acts as a third capacitive plate and causes the capacitanceof the feedback loop to vary. The capacitance varies with respect towhether a biometric ridge or valley is present. The variance incapacitance between the first and second capacitive plates 206A, 206Band the biometric signature causes a variation in the voltage at theinverting terminal 226, which in turn causes a variation in the outputvoltage 216. This variation can be interpreted by the signal processingmodule 104 (FIG. 2) as indicating a ridge or valley of a biometricsignature. Referring back to FIG. 3A, a complete image of the suspect'sbiometric signature is developed by the signal processing module 104(FIG. 2) by interpreting the output voltage 216 of each of thecapacitive elements 218 in the array of the capacitive biometric sensor202.

In one embodiment, the insulating layer 204 may comprise a transparentconducting film (TCF), which may be fabricated from either organic orinorganic materials. Inorganic films may comprise a layer of transparentconducting oxide (TOO), generally in the form of indium tin oxide (ITO),fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO), and doped zinc oxide. Organic films maybe constructed of carbon nanotube networks and graphene. Transparentconducting films act both as a window for light to pass through to theactive material beneath and as an ohmic contact for carrier transportout of the photovoltaic. Transparent materials possess bandgaps withenergies corresponding to wavelengths which are shorter than the visiblerange (380 nm to 750 nm). As such, photons with energies below thebandgap are not collected by these materials and this visible lightpasses through.

In one embodiment, the insulating layer 204 may comprise a transparentconductive oxide. Transparent conductive oxides (TCO) are doped metaloxides used in optoelectronic devices. TCO films may be fabricated withpolycrystalline or amorphous microstructures. TCO films may useelectrode materials that have greater than 80% transmittance of incidentlight, for example, as well as conductiveness higher than 10³ S/cm, forexample. The transmittance of TCO films, just as in any transparentmaterial, is limited by light scattering at defects and grainboundaries. Mobility in TCO films is limited by ionized impurityscattering, and may be on the order of 40 cm²/(V*s) for example. In oneembodiment, TCO films may be made from n-type conductors. TCO films maybe manufactured from, for example, tin-doped indium-oxide (ITO),aluminum-doped zinc-oxide (AZO), or indium-doped cadmium-oxide, orbinary metal oxides without any intentional impurity doping. Binarymetal oxides may be n-type with a carrier concentration on the order of10²⁰ cm⁻³.

Doped metal oxides for use as transparent conducting layers may be grownon glass substrates. The glass substrate, apart from providing a supportthat the oxide can grow on, has the additional benefit of blocking mostinfrared wavelengths greater than 2 μm for most silicates, andconverting it to heat in the glass layer. This process helps maintain alow temperature of active region of the TCO. TCO films may be depositedon a substrate through various deposition methods, including metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), metal organic molecular beamdeposition (MOMBD), spray pyrolysis, pulsed laser deposition (PLD), ormagnetron sputtering of the film. Magnetron sputtering is veryinefficient, with only 30% of the material actually being deposited onthe substrate. In the case of ITO, this inefficiency is a significantdrawback. TCO growth may be performed in a reducing environment toencourage oxygen vacancy formation within the film, which contribute tothe carrier concentration (if n-type).

Charge carriers in these oxides arise from three fundamental sources:interstitial metal ion impurities, oxygen vacancies, and doping ions.The first two sources always act as electron donors In one embodiment,TCO films may be fabricated solely using these two intrinsic sources ascarrier generators. When an oxygen vacancy is present in the lattice itacts as a doubly-charged electron donor. In ITO, for example, eachoxygen vacancy causes the neighboring In3+ ion 5s orbitals to bestabilized from the 5s conduction band by the missing bonds to theoxygen ion, while two electrons are trapped at the site due to chargeneutrality effects. The stabilization of the 5s orbitals causes aformation of donor level for the oxygen ion, determined to be 0.03 eVbelow the conduction band.

Dopant ionization within the oxide occurs in the same way as in othersemiconductor crystals. Shallow donors near the conduction band (n-type)allow electrons to be thermally excited into the conduction band, whileacceptors near the valence band (p-type) allow electrons to jump fromthe valence band to the acceptor level, populating the valence band withholes. Charged impurity ions and point defects have scatteringcross-sections that are much greater than their neutral counterparts.Increasing the scattering decreases the mean-free path of the carriersin the oxide, which leads to poor device performance and a highresistivity.

In one embodiment, the insulating layer 204 may comprise a transparentconducting polymer. Transparent conducting polymers (TCP) haveconjugated double bonds which allow for conduction. The effectivebandgap is the separation between the highest occupied molecular orbitaland lowest unoccupied molecular orbital. TCPs have conductivity belowthat of TCOs and have low absorption of the visible spectrum allowingthem to act as transparent conductors. The TCPs can be made intoflexible films making them desirable despite their low conductivity.This makes them useful in the development of flexible electronics, suchas biometric sensors, where traditional transparent conductors willfail. TCP films may be fabricated from, for example,Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), doped-PEDOT with poly(styrenesulfonate), Poly(4,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), orPoly(4,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with iodine or2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano 1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ).

In one embodiment, the insulating layer 204 may comprise a carbonnanotube (CNT) film. CNT films have high elastic modulus, high tensilestrength, and high conductivity. CNT films may be prepared in threesteps: the CNT growth process, putting the CNTs in solution, andfinally, creation of the CNT thin film. Nanotubes may be grown usinglaser ablation, electric-arc discharge, or different form of chemicalvapor deposition. Density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGU) may beapplied to separate CNTs by density. In order to separate the growntubes, the CNTs are mixed with surfactant and water and sonicated untilsatisfactory separation occurs. This solution is then sprayed onto thedesired substrate in order to create a CNT thin film. The film is thenrinsed in water in order to get rid of excess surfactant.

FIG. 4A shows one embodiment of a biometric sensor comprising anelectromagnetic sensor 302. In one embodiment, the electromagneticsensor 302 comprises an electromagnetic wave source 306. In oneembodiment, the electromagnetic wave source 306 can produce any suitableelectromagnetic wave, including a light wave (e.g., an electromagneticwave in the visible light spectrum) or a radio-frequency wave. Theelectromagnetic wave source 306 produces a transmitted electromagneticwave 308 which is directed at an imaging surface 304. When thetransmitted electromagnetic wave 308 encounters a biometric signature,e.g., a finger with fingerprint or a palm with palm-print (not shown),the transmitted electromagnetic wave 308 is reflected. The reflectedelectromagnetic wave 310 is directed towards an imaging device 314. Theimaging device 314 is connected to the signal processing module 104(FIG. 2), which generates a contour image of the biometric signatureaccording to the electrical image data received from the imaging device314.

FIG. 4B shows one embodiment of an electromagnetic sensor 302 comprisingan optical sensor. In this embodiment, the electromagnetic source 306 isreplaced with a light source 324 which produces an electromagnetic wavein the visible light spectrum, e.g., 390-750 nanometers. A light wave318 passes through an optical component 316 which causes the lightentering the optical component 316 to form a plurality of interferencefringes on a biometric signature placed on the imaging surface 304. Theoptical component 316 may be a grating, a bi-prism, or composed of asingle slit and a double-slit configured to create interference fringeson a biometric signature. The light wave 318 is reflected by a biometricsignature in contact with the imaging surface 304 in the direction of acharge-coupled device 322. In one embodiment, the reflected light wave320 passes through the lens 312 before interacting with the chargecoupled device 322. The lens 312 may be employed to increase the sensingefficiency of the charge coupled device 322. In one embodiment, thecharge-coupled device 322 comprises one or more photosites positioned toreceive the reflected light wave 320 (e.g., electromagnetic wave) fromthe imaging surface 304. In one embodiment, the photosites areconfigured to produce a signal in response to the light wave 320 (e.g.,electromagnetic wave). In one embodiment, the one or more photositescomprise light-sensitive semiconductor devices such as, for example,light-sensitive diodes, transistors, and the like.

In one embodiment, the imaging surface 304 may comprise a transparentconducting film (TCF), which may be fabricated from either organic orinorganic materials. Inorganic films may be constructed of a layer oftransparent conducting oxide (TCO), generally in the form of indium tinoxide (ITO), fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO), and doped zinc oxide.Organic films may be constructed of carbon nanotube networks andgraphene. Transparent conducting folms act both as a window for light topass through to the active material beneath and as an ohmic contact forcarrier transport out of the photovoltaic. Transparent materials possessbandgaps with energies corresponding to wavelengths which are shorterthan the visible range (380 nm to 750 nm). As such, photons withenergies below the bandgap are not collected by these materials and thisvisible light passes through.

FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of a biometric sensor comprising a thermalsensor 402. A contact interface 414 may comprise a Schottky rectifierformed between a semiconductor 408 and a suitable metal 404. The thermalsensor 402 has first and second metal contacts 404 and 406, which serveas diode terminals. The first and second metal contacts 404, 406 can beformed of any suitable metal, for example, aluminum. In the illustrationof FIG. 5, N+ islands 416 ensure that the contacts at the terminals 406are ohmic contacts. An insulating oxide 410 may surround the diodedevice structure. The insulating material 410 may be an oxide from metalor semiconductor, or an organic material. The first and second metalcontacts 404, 406 create sensor pixels which are capable of generatingheat images. A conductive/semiconductive layer 412 can be placed overthe sensor pixels to protect the sensor from potential electrical harmand accidental electromagnetic discharge.

In operation, an array of thermal sensors 402 may be surreptitiouslyintegrated with a contact surface, such as a wall or a vehicle hood. Thesensors generate a temperature difference between the sensor and thesuspect's biometric signature. The sensors then monitor the rate atwhich heat is drawn away from the sensor and into the biometricsignature. Where a ridge of the biometric signature is in contact withthe imaging surface, heats is transferred at a higher rate. Where avalley of the biometric signature is located, there exists a layer ainsulating air between the sensor and the biometric signature, andtherefore heat is transferred at a slower rate, allowing the sensor tobuild an image of the biometric signature.

FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of a biometric sensor comprising anultrasonic sensor 502. In one embodiment, the ultrasonic sensor 502comprises multiple piezoelectric elements 506, configured in atwo-dimensional array. First and second conductors 510, 512 areconnected to each of the piezoelectric elements 506. A shield layer 504is applied to one side to provide a protective coating where a fingercan be placed proximate to the ultrasonic sensor 502. A support 514 canbe attached to the opposite end of the sensor array.

In operation, the ultrasonic sensor 502 functions by using thepiezoelectric elements to generate sonic waves. These waves aretransmitted through the shield layer 504 and come into contact with asuspect's biometric signature. The sonic waves are then reflected atvarying speeds and frequencies which can be captured by the conductorsand used to generate a signal representing the biometric signatureplaced on the shield layer 504.

FIG. 7 shows one embodiment of signal processing module 104. In oneembodiment, the signal processing module 104 comprises ananalog-to-digital converter 150, a processor 152, and a memory module154. The signal received from the biometric sensor 102 is in the form ofan analog signal. The analog-to-digital converter 150 converts theanalog signal into a machine-readable digital form. The digital signalis then passed to the processor 152 for processing. After the signal hasbeen processed, digital data representing the biometric signature of thesuspect is stored in the memory module 154. The memory module 154 can beany form of machine readable memory, including but not limited to, solidstate memory or magnetic memory. The memory module is readable by thecommunications module 106.

FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of a signal processing module 104. Inone embodiment, the signal processing module 104 shown in FIG. 8comprises one or more logic blocks 180 and one or more data latches 182.The analog signal received from the biometric sensor 102 is input intothe logic blocks 180, where a series of logic gates and registersprocess the analog signal. The result of this processing is stored bythe latches 182 and is accessible by the communications module 106.

FIG. 9 shows one embodiment of a first processing node 108. In oneembodiment, the first processing node 108 comprises a processor 170 anda wireless communication node 172 communicatively coupled to theprocessor 170. The wireless communication node 172 is coupled to anantenna 174. The processor 170 receives an input from the communicationmodule 106 (FIG. 2). The wireless communication node 172 can beconfigured to use any suitable wireless communication protocol, forexample, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11, WiFi, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), codedivision multiple access (CDMA), or any other suitable wirelesscommunication protocol.

FIG. 10 shows one embodiment of how the biometric acquisition module 100and first processing node 108 may cooperate in a larger system. Uponacquiring the biometric signature of a suspect is obtained by thebiometric acquisition module 100, the biometric signature is transmittedto the first processing node 108. In one embodiment, the biometricacquisition module 100 and the first processing node 108 may be locatedwithin a shared structure 700, such as a vehicle or a building. Afterprocessing the biometric signature, the first processing node 108transmits the biometric signature to the database 6 via the network 4.Upon receipt of the biometric signature, the database 6 will perform asearch to attempt to match the biometric signature obtained by thebiometric acquisition module 100 with known biometric data included inthe database. If a match is found, the database 6 may transmit thesuspect's information to the first processing node 108 via the network4. In one embodiment, the database 6 may transmit the suspect'sinformation to a different location than the first processing node 108(not shown). In one embodiment, the suspect data may include a photo,criminal record, personal information, and dangerousness.

FIG. 11 shows one embodiment of a surreptitious biometric acquisitionapparatus for use in building security. In one embodiment, the biometricsensor 102 (FIGS. 2, 7, 8) may be mounted to a door handle 604 of a door602 of a building 600. When a person comes in contact with the doorhandle 604, for example, by pulling on the handle 604 to open the door602, the person's biometric signature can be recorded by the biometricsensor 102. The signal processing module 104 and the communicationsmodule 106 (FIGS. 2, 7, 8, 9) may be located in a control box 606. Inone embodiment, the control box 606 may be embedded into the building600. In one embodiment, first processing node 108 may be located withinthe building 600. In another embodiment, the first processing node 108may be located in an offsite location, such as a security building orremote monitoring location. In one embodiment, the surreptitiousbiometric acquisition apparatus shown in FIG. 11 may be used in either apassive or active capacity. For example, in a passive role, thebiometric sensor 102 can be used to log each person who enters a certainbuilding. The data can be stored by the first processing node 108 or canbe transmitted by the first processing node 108 to another location forfurther processing. In an active role, the biometric sensor 102 can beused to control access to the building, by tying a biometric acquisitionmodule comprising the biometric sensor 102 into a door lock. When thefirst processing node 108 identifies a person authorized to access thebuilding 600, the first processing node 108 can trigger the door lockand allow access to the building 600.

In another embodiment, a surreptitious biometric acquisition apparatus100 may be installed on an automated teller machine (ATM) for use inbank access and security. The surreptitious biometric acquisitionapparatus could function to ensure that only an authorized user, such asa person who has registered their biometric data with the financialinstitution, is able to access a specific account. This would assist insituations where a suspect has stolen an ATM card and is attempting toaccess an account illegally. The surreptitious biometric acquisitionapparatus 100 may log the suspect's information or may prevent access toan account by an unauthorized person.

FIG. 12 shows one embodiment of one aspect of a method forsurreptitiously identifying a suspect using biometric data. Biometricdata is obtained 702 from a subject and is transmitted 704 forprocessing. The biometric data is processed 706 to create a biometricsignature that can be compared to known biometric data. The biometricsignature is transmitted 708 to a database containing known biometricdata, where it is compared 710 to the known biometric data. If a matchis found with known biometric data, the information contained in thedatabase connected to the biometric data is transmitted 712. In oneembodiment for law enforcement use this data may include name,identifying features, image of suspect, criminal record, threat level,or arrest warrants. In another embodiment for civilian use, thisinformation may include name, employee number, or security clearance. Ifno match is found, an identifier indicating no match in the database istransmitted 714. The transmitted data is received 716 and displayed 718to the officer.

FIG. 13 shows one embodiment of a cross-section of the vehicle hood 110with a surreptitiously mounted biometric sensor. The vehicle hood 110may comprise a metal base layer 802. A primer coating 804 may be appliedover the metal base 802 to protect the metal base 802 from rusting andprovide a better surface for surreptitious application of the biometricsensor 102 and top coating 806. In one embodiment, the top coating 806completely covers the biometric sensor and prevents a suspect from beingable to identify the location of the biometric sensor 102 integratedwith vehicle hood 110. The biometric sensor 102 may comprise anysuitable biometric sensor, for example, capacitive, thermal,electromagnetic, optical, or ultrasonic sensors. The top coating 806material may be configured to match the properties of the biometricsensor 102 and to enable surreptitious mounting. For example, the topcoat 806 may be chosen to be an electrically conductive material when acapacitive biometric sensor is used. As another example, a translucentmaterial may be chosen for the top coat 806 when the biometric sensor102 is an optical biometric sensor. Other materials may be chosen tomatch the operative parameters and requirements of the biometric sensor102. In one embodiment, the top coat 806 may cover the entire surface ofthe hood. In another embodiment, the top coat 806 may only cover thesurface area of the biometric sensor 102. In this embodiment, the topcoat 806 should be chosen to match the color of the rest of the vehiclehood 110 to allow for surreptitious mounting.

FIG. 14 shows one embodiment of a cross-sectional view of the vehiclehood 110 with a capacitive biometric sensor 202 surreptitiously mounted.In one embodiment, the vehicle hood 110 may comprise a metal base 802and a primer coating 804 (not shown). A surreptitious biometric sensormay be mounted to the vehicle hood 110. In one embodiment shown in FIG.14, the surreptitious biometric sensor is a capacitive sensor 202. Thecapacitive sensor 202 may comprise a substrate layer 904. The substratelayer 904 may be made of any suitable substrate material, for example,glass. A capacitive grid 906 is formed on the substrate layer 904, forexample, by connecting a plurality of capacitive plates and amplifiersas shown in FIG. 2. In one embodiment, a sealing layer 908 is formedover the capacitive grid 906 to protect the capacitive grid 906 fromenvironmental contaminants. An insulating layer 910 is formed over thecapacitive grid 906 and option sealing layer 908. The insulating layer910 provides a uniform contact surface for a suspect's biometricsignature. A top coating material 806 is placed over the capacitivesensor 202, covering the capacitive sensor 202 and preventingidentification of the location or presence of the capacitive sensor 202.The top coating material 806 can be any suitable material, for example,a conductive paint, which allows for proper functioning of thecapacitive sensor 202. Although surreptitious mounting has beendiscussed and illustrated with reference to a capacitive sensor 202, itwill be appreciated by one skilled in the art that a similar structuremay be used to surreptitiously mount any suitable biometric sensor, forexample, thermal, optical, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic.

Various elements of the fingerprinting apparatus, system, and methoddisclosed herein may be implemented in a dedicated or general purposecomputing environment comprising a computing device, one or moreprocessor circuits or processing units, one or more memory circuitsand/or storage circuit component(s), and one or more input/output (I/O)circuit devices.

In one embodiment, a processing unit may be responsible for executingvarious software programs such as system programs, applicationsprograms, and/or modules to provide computing and processing operationsfor the computing device. The processing unit may be responsible forperforming various voice and data communications operations for thecomputing device such as transmitting and receiving voice and datainformation over one or more wired or wireless communications channels.Although the processing unit of the computing device includes singleprocessor architecture as shown, it may be appreciated that thecomputing device may use any suitable processor architecture and/or anysuitable number of processors in accordance with the describedembodiments. In one embodiment, the processing unit may be implementedusing a single integrated processor.

The processing unit may be implemented as a host central processing unit(CPU) using any suitable processor circuit or logic device (circuit),such as a as a general purpose processor. The processing unit also maybe implemented as a chip multiprocessor (CMP), dedicated processor,embedded processor, media processor, input/output (I/O) processor,co-processor, microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array(FPGA), programmable logic device (PLD), or other processing device,such as a DSP in accordance with the described embodiments.

The processing unit may be coupled to the memory and/or storagecomponent(s) through a bus. The memory bus may comprise any suitableinterface and/or bus architecture for allowing the processing unit toaccess the memory and/or storage component(s). Although the memoryand/or storage component(s) may be separate from the processing unit, itis worthy to note that in various embodiments some portion or the entirememory and/or storage component(s) may be included on the sameintegrated circuit as the processing unit. Alternatively, some portionor the entire memory and/or storage component(s) may be disposed on anintegrated circuit or other medium (e.g., hard disk drive) external tothe integrated circuit of the processing unit. In various embodiments,the computing device may comprise an expansion slot to support amultimedia and/or memory card, for example.

The memory and/or storage component(s) represent one or morecomputer-readable media. The memory and/or storage component(s) may beimplemented using any computer-readable media capable of storing datasuch as volatile or non-volatile memory, removable or non-removablememory, erasable or non-erasable memory, writeable or re-writeablememory, and so forth. The memory and/or storage component(s) maycomprise volatile media (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) and/ornonvolatile media (e.g., read only memory (ROM), Flash memory, opticaldisks, magnetic disks and the like). The memory and/or storagecomponent(s) may comprise fixed media (e.g., RAM, ROM, a fixed harddrive, etc.) as well as removable media (e.g., a Flash memory drive, aremovable hard drive, an optical disk, etc.). Examples ofcomputer-readable storage media may include, without limitation, RAM,dynamic RAM (DRAM), Double-Data-Rate DRAM (DDRAM), synchronous DRAM(SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM(PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasableprogrammable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory (e.g., NOR or NAND flashmemory), content addressable memory (CAM), polymer memory (e.g.,ferroelectric polymer memory), phase-change memory, ovonic memory,ferroelectric memory, silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS)memory, magnetic or optical cards, or any other type of media suitablefor storing information.

One or more I/O devices allow a user to enter commands and informationto the computing device, and also allow information to be presented tothe user and/or other components or devices. Examples of input devicesinclude a keyboard, a cursor control device (e.g., a mouse), amicrophone, a scanner and the like. Examples of output devices include adisplay device (e.g., a monitor or projector, speakers, a printer, anetwork card, etc.). The computing device may comprise an alphanumerickeypad coupled to the processing unit. The keypad may comprise, forexample, a QWERTY key layout and an integrated number dial pad. Thecomputing device may comprise a display coupled to the processing unit.The display may comprise any suitable visual interface for displayingcontent to a user of the computing device. In one embodiment, forexample, the display may be implemented by a liquid crystal display(LCD) such as a touch-sensitive color (e.g., 76-bit color) thin-filmtransistor (TFT) LCD screen. The touch-sensitive LCD may be used with astylus and/or a handwriting recognizer program.

The processing unit may be arranged to provide processing or computingresources to the computing device. For example, the processing unit maybe responsible for executing various software programs including systemprograms such as operating system (OS) and application programs. Systemprograms generally may assist in the running of the computing device andmay be directly responsible for controlling, integrating, and managingthe individual hardware components of the computer system. The OS may beimplemented, for example, using products known to those skilled in theart under the following trade designations: Microsoft Windows OS,Symbian OSTM, Embedix OS, Linux OS, Binary Run-time Environment forWireless (BREW) OS, JavaOS, Android OS, Apple OS or other suitable OS inaccordance with the described embodiments. The computing device maycomprise other system programs such as device drivers, programmingtools, utility programs, software libraries, application programminginterfaces (APIs), and so forth.

Various embodiments may be described herein in the general context ofcomputer executable instructions, such as software, program modules,and/or engines being executed by a computer. Generally, software,program modules, and/or engines include any software element arranged toperform particular operations or implement particular abstract datatypes. Software, program modules, and/or engines can include routines,programs, objects, components, data structures and the like that performparticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Animplementation of the software, program modules, and/or enginescomponents and techniques may be stored on and/or transmitted acrosssome form of computer-readable media. In this regard, computer-readablemedia can be any available medium or media useable to store informationand accessible by a computing device. Some embodiments also may bepracticed in distributed computing environments where operations areperformed by one or more remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, software, program modules, and/or engines may be located inboth local and remote computer storage media including memory storagedevices.

Although some embodiments may be illustrated and described as comprisingfunctional components, software, engines, and/or modules performingvarious operations, it can be appreciated that such components ormodules may be implemented by one or more hardware components, softwarecomponents, and/or combination thereof. The functional components,software, engines, and/or modules may be implemented, for example, bylogic (e.g., instructions, data, and/or code) to be executed by a logicdevice (e.g., processor). Such logic may be stored internally orexternally to a logic device on one or more types of computer-readablestorage media. In other embodiments, the functional components such assoftware, engines, and/or modules may be implemented by hardwareelements that may include processors, microprocessors, circuits, circuitelements (e.g., transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and soforth), integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits(ASIC), programmable logic devices (PLD), digital signal processors(DSP), field programmable gate array (FPGA), logic gates, registers,semiconductor device, chips, microchips, chip sets, and so forth.

Examples of software, engines, and/or modules may include softwarecomponents, programs, applications, computer programs, applicationprograms, system programs, machine programs, operating system software,middleware, firmware, software modules, routines, subroutines,functions, methods, procedures, software interfaces, application programinterfaces (API), instruction sets, computing code, computer code, codesegments, computer code segments, words, values, symbols, or anycombination thereof. Determining whether an embodiment is implementedusing hardware elements and/or software elements may vary in accordancewith any number of factors, such as desired computational rate, powerlevels, heat tolerances, processing cycle budget, input data rates,output data rates, memory resources, data bus speeds and other design orperformance constraints.

In some cases, various embodiments may be implemented as an article ofmanufacture. The article of manufacture may include a computer readablestorage medium arranged to store logic, instructions and/or data forperforming various operations of one or more embodiments. In variousembodiments, for example, the article of manufacture may comprise amagnetic disk, optical disk, flash memory or firmware containingcomputer program instructions suitable for execution by a generalpurpose processor or application specific processor. The embodiments,however, are not limited in this context.

It also is to be appreciated that the described embodiments illustrateexample implementations, and that the functional components and/ormodules may be implemented in various other ways which are consistentwith the described embodiments. Furthermore, the operations performed bysuch components or modules may be combined and/or separated for a givenimplementation and may be performed by a greater number or fewer numberof components or modules.

It is worthy to note that any reference to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” or “in one aspect” in the specification are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment.

Some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and“connected” along with their derivatives. These terms are not intendedas synonyms for each other. For example, some embodiments may bedescribed using the terms “connected” and/or “coupled” to indicate thattwo or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact witheach other. The term “coupled,” however, may also mean that two or moreelements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet stillco-operate or interact with each other.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, it may be appreciated that termssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” or thelike, refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computingsystem, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and/ortransforms data represented as physical quantities (e.g., electronic)within registers and/or memories into other data similarly representedas physical quantities within the memories, registers or other suchinformation storage, transmission or display devices.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods andmaterials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also beused in the practice or testing of the present invention, representativeillustrative methods and materials are now described.

It is noted that, as used herein and in the appended claims, thesingular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise. It is further noted that the claimsmay be drafted to exclude any optional element. As such, this statementis intended to serve as antecedent basis for use of such exclusiveterminology as “solely,” “only” and the like in connection with therecitation of claim elements, or use of a “negative” limitation.

As will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading thisdisclosure, each of the individual aspects described and illustratedherein has discrete components and features which may be readilyseparated from or combined with the features of any of the other severalaspects without departing from the scope of the present invention. Anyrecited method can be carried out in the order of events recited or inany other order which is logically possible.

In the foregoing specification, various specific embodiments of afingerprinting apparatus, system, and method have been disclosed. Itwill be evident that various modifications may be made to the disclosedembodiments without departing from the broader scope of thefingerprinting apparatus, system, and method as set forth in theappended claims. Accordingly, the specification and drawings of thisdisclosure should be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than arestrictive sense.

1. A surreptitious biometric acquisition apparatus, comprising a sensorconfigured to produce an electrical signal corresponding to a biometricsignature of a subject, wherein the sensor is configured to besurreptitiously mounted to a surface; and a signal processing moduleconfigured to convert the electrical signal to a digital signal.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a capacitive element.3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the capacitive element comprises anarray of conductive elements having a first spacing and a secondspacing.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the conductive elements ofthe capacitive element comprise: a first conductor plate and a secondconductor plate embedded in an insulating material; an amplifierconnected to the first and second conductor plates, wherein the outputof the amplifier is a stored voltage between the first plate and thesecond plate.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the sensor isconfigured to output a difference in voltage between a first conductiveelement and one or more adjacent conductive elements in response to thesubject contacting the sensor.
 6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein thesensor is configured to output a difference in voltage between a firstconductive element and a reference voltage in response to the subjectcontacting the sensor.
 7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the firstspacing is substantially equal to the second spacing.
 8. The apparatusof claim 3, wherein the first spacing is not substantially equal to thesecond spacing.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensorcomprises a thermal element.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein thethermal sensor comprises: an imaging surface; an array of heat sensingelements configured to detect the temperature of the imaging surface atdiscrete points in response to the subject contacting the sensor. 11.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises anelectromagnetic wave sensor.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein theelectromagnetic wave sensor comprises: an imaging surface; anelectromagnetic wave source configured to produce an electromagneticwave in the direction of the imaging surface in response to the subjectcontacting the sensor; a charge-coupled device comprising one or morephotosites positioned to receive a reflected electromagnetic wave fromthe imaging surface, wherein the photosites are configured to produce asignal in response to the electromagnetic wave.
 13. The apparatus ofclaim 12, wherein the electromagnetic wave source comprises alight-emitting diode and the one or more photosites compriselight-sensitive semiconductor devices.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the sensor comprises an ultrasonic element.
 15. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the signal processing module comprises: ananalog-to-digital converter; a processor coupled to theanalog-to-digital converter; and a memory unit configured to store theoutput of the processor.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thesignal processing module comprises a plurality of gates.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a communication module coupledto the signal processing module.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, whereinthe communication module is configured to communicate with a firstprocessing node.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the firstprocessing node comprises: a processor configured to process a signalfrom the communication module; and a wireless communication node coupledto the processor.
 20. A vehicle comprising a surreptitious biometricacquisition apparatus, the vehicle comprising: a surreptitious biometricacquisition module comprising: a sensor configured to produce anelectrical signal corresponding to a biometric signature of a subject,wherein the sensor is formed integrally with the vehicle; a signalprocessing module configured to convert the electrical signal to adigital signal; and a communication module coupled to the signalprocessing module and configured to communicate with a first processingnode; the first processing node comprising: a processor configured toprocess the signal from the communication module; and a wirelesscommunication module coupled to the processor.
 21. A method forsurreptitiously identifying a subject, comprising obtaining, via abiometric sensor, an analog signal representing biometric data of thesubject; converting, via a signal processing module, the analog signalinto a digital signal; transmitting, via a first communication module,the digital signal to a first processing node; processing, via the firstprocessing node, the digital signal; transmitting, via a secondcommunication module, the digital signal to a second processing node;comparing, via the second processing node, the biometric data of thesubject to a database of known biometric information; transmitting, viaa third communication module, identifying information of the subject;receiving, via the second communication node, the identifyinginformation for the subject.